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Naturalistic Interventions to Improve Prelinguistic Communication for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: a Systematic Review

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Abstract

The current review identified 11 single-case design (SCD) and 14 group-design evaluations of naturalistic behavioral interventions targeting prelinguistic social communication in young children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Three SCD studies and eight group design studies utilized methodologically rigorous designs and demonstrated a functional relation between the intervention and child prelinguistic social communication. Results of this systematic review provide information about efficacy of specific naturalistic behavioral interventions, details about the intervention, and characteristics of the implementation agent and setting. Such information may be useful to support implementation of evidence-based practices and increase the quality of future research.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Educational Psychology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA

    Ashley H. Dubin

  2. Division of Behavioral Health, Department of Pediatrics, Nemours/A. I. DuPont Hospital for Children, Wilmington, DE, USA

    Ashley H. Dubin

  3. Sidney Kimmel Medical College, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

    Ashley H. Dubin

  4. Department of Communication Sciences and Special Education, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA

    Rebecca G. Lieberman-Betz

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  1. Ashley H. Dubin
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  2. Rebecca G. Lieberman-Betz
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Correspondence to Ashley H. Dubin.

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Dubin, A.H., Lieberman-Betz, R.G. Naturalistic Interventions to Improve Prelinguistic Communication for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: a Systematic Review. Rev J Autism Dev Disord 7, 151–167 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40489-019-00184-9

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